With infinite courage and grace, Indian Forest Service officer S.E.H. Kazmi has spent a lifetime negotiating conservation imperatives in Palamau and Hazaribagh, among the country’s most beautiful but conflicted landscapes.

As one of the pioneers of Project Snow Leopard and a multitude of other initiatives aimed at improving rural livelihoods, Indian Forest Service officer Jigmet Takpa has transformed local attitudes towards wildlife in Ladakh.

A wildlife biologist by training and a conservationist at heart, Tiasa Adhya’s persistent efforts to highlight the plight of the fishing cat and address problems of habitat destruction, conflict and retaliatory killings in West Bengal are truly commendable.

Bano Haralu’s exceptional conservation initiatives, most notably the protection of migrating Amur Falcons in her native state of Nagaland, have shaped one of the country’s most successful conservation projects in recent times.

Champions of the exquisite wildlife of India’s northernmost state, Tahir Shawl and Nazir Malik’s steadfast commitment to the preservation and protection of Kashmir’s Dachigam National Park is second to none.